Sunday morning February 5

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lipsand our mouth will proclaim your praise.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, creator of all,to you be praise and glory forever.As your dawn renews the face of the earthbringing light and life to all creation,may we rejoice in this day you have made;as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,open our eyes to behold your presenceand strengthen our hands to do your will,that the world may rejoice and give you praise.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,so may the light of your presence, O God,set our hearts on fire with love for you;now and forever.Amen.

Escaped the hostile sword,O may we fly to thee,And find in our redeeming LordOur life and liberty.Our strength and righteousness,O let us hold thee fast,With confidence divine, and peaceThat shall forever last.

Confession of sin

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Most merciful God,we confess that we have sinned against youin thought, word, and deed,by what we have done,and by what we have left undone.We have not loved you with our whole heart;we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,have mercy on us and forgive us;that we may delight in your will,and walk in your ways,to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sinsthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in allgoodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us ineternal life.Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 5

Refrain:You, Lord, bless the righteous. You cover them with favor like a shield.

Hear my words, Lord! Consider my groans! Pay attention to the sound of my cries, my king and my God, because I am praying to you!Lord, in the morning you hear my voice. In the morning I lay it all out before you. Then I wait expectantly.Because you aren’t a God who enjoys wickedness; evil doesn’t live with you.Arrogant people won’t last longin your sight; you hate all evildoers; you destroy liars. The Lord despises people who are violent and dishonest.But me? I will enter your house because of your abundant, faithful love; I will bow down at your holy temple, honoring you.Lord, because of many enemies, please lead me in your righteousness. Make your way clear, right in front of me.Because there’s no truth in my enemies’ mouths, all they have inside them is destruction. Their throats are open graves; their tongues slick with talk.Condemn them, God! Let them fail by their own plans.Throw them out for their many sins because they’ve rebelled against you.But let all who take refuge in you celebrate. Let them sing out loud forever!Protect them so that all who love your name can rejoice in you.Because you, Lord, bless the righteous. You cover them with favor like a shield.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:You, Lord, bless the righteous. You cover them with favor like a shield.

Psalm prayer

Lord, protect us from the deceitof flattering tongues and lying lips;give us words of life which speak your truthand bless your name;through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 6

Refrain:Come back to me, Lord! Deliver me!

Please, Lord, don’t punish me when you are angry; don’t discipline me when you are furious.Have mercy on me, Lord, because I’m frail.Heal me, Lord, because my bones are shaking in terror!My whole body is completely terrified! But you, Lord! How long will this last?Come back to me, Lord! Deliver me! Save me for the sake of your faithful love!No one is going to praise you when they are dead.Who gives you thanks from the grave?I’m worn out from groaning. Every night, I drench my bed with tears; I soak my couch all the way through.My vision fails because of my grief; it’s weak because of all my distress.Get away from me, all you evildoers, because the Lord has heard me crying!The Lord has listened to my request. The Lord accepts my prayer.All my enemies will be ashamed and completely terrified; they will be defeated and ashamed instantly.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Come back to me, Lord! Deliver me!

Psalm prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,may the tears shed in your earthly lifebe balm for all who weep,and may the prayers of your pilgrimagegive strength to all who suffer;for your mercy’s sake.

Old Testament readingJeremiah 26:1-16

Early in the rule of Judah’s King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, this word came from the Lord: The Lord proclaims: Stand in the temple courtyard and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who have come to the temple to worship. Tell them everything I command you; leave nothing out. Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. If they do, I will relent and not carry out the harm I have in mind for them because of the wrong they have done. So tell them, The Lord proclaims: If you don’t listen to me or follow the Instruction I have set before you— if you don’t listen to the words of the prophets that I have sent to you time and again, though you haven’t listened, then I will make this temple a ruin like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse before all nations on earth.

The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah declare these words in the Lord’s temple. And when Jeremiah finished saying everything the Lord told him to say, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that ‘this temple will become a ruin like Shiloh, and this city will be destroyed and left without inhabitant’?” Then all the people joined ranks against Jeremiah in the Lord’s temple.

When the officials of Judah heard these things, they went up from the royal palace to the Lord’s temple and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s temple. The priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people: “This man deserves to die for prophesying against this city as you have all heard firsthand.”

Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy to this temple and this city everything you have heard. So now transform your ways and actions. Obey the Lord your God, and the Lord may relent and not carry out the harm that he’s pronounced against you. But me? I’m in your hands. Do whatever you would like to me. Only know for certain that if you sentence me to death, you and the people of this city will be guilty of killing an innocent man. The Lord has in fact sent me to speak everything I have said to you.”

Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man doesn’t deserve to die, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingActs 3:1-10

Peter and John were going up to the temple at three o’clock in the afternoon, the established prayer time. Meanwhile, a man crippled since birth was being carried in. Every day, people would place him at the temple gate known as the Beautiful Gate so he could ask for money from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he began to ask them for a gift. Peter and John stared at him. Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gazed at them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I don’t have any money, but I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up and walk!” Then he grasped the man’s right hand and raised him up. At once his feet and ankles became strong. Jumping up, he began to walk around. He entered the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God. They recognized him as the same one who used to sit at the temple’s Beautiful Gate asking for money. They were filled with amazement and surprise at what had happened to him.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:You have raised up a mighty savior for us in your servant David’s house.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:You have raised up a mighty savior for us in your servant David’s house.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers may be offered for:

the day and its tasksthe world and its needsthe church and her life

Prayers may include the following concerns:

The universal churchBishops, superintendents and all who lead the churchThe leaders of the nationsThe natural world and the resources of the earthAll who are in any kind of need

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Lord of lifeIn your mercy, hear us.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

O God,you know us to be setin the midst of so many and great dangers,that by reason of the frailty of our naturewe cannot always stand upright:grant to us such strength and protectionas may support us in all dangersand carry us through all temptations;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever.Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.

Conclusion

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.Amen.